A picture of two Sri Lankan land monitor lizards seemingly intent on a dance lesson has been Highly Commended in this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography awards.

The photo was taken in Wilpattu game park by Sergey Savvi of CWPA / Barcroft Images.

Sadly the dancing lizards lost out to a surprised squirrel.

There are two types of monitor lizards in Sri Lanka, the land monitor and the water monitor.

The common land monitor is normally found in hot lowland country of Sri Lanka. Farmers encourage them to wander around their fields as they eat vermin such as mice as well as ants, fruit, frogs, spiders, scorpions, beetles, grubs and if they can catch them, bats.…

I’ve always championed late November as a great time to visit Sri Lanka for the beach lover in search of bargains. As the month progresses, the sunshine hours on the west and south coast increase dramatically. But this November, 2018, the west and south coast beaches are quieter than normal.
The power struggle in Parliament which has temporarily left Sri Lanka with not one Prime Minister but two has given the tourist industry a jolt.
This – frustratingly – coming only a couple of weeks after Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka as the No 1 destination in the world for 2019.…

The second half of November is my favourite time in Sri Lanka.
The monsoon has largely burned itself out in the south-west and when it does rain, predominantly in the evening, it freshens the air and provides an enchanting backdrop to the sounds of the tropics.
For those most interested in Sri Lanka’s beach culture there are bargains to be had.
Rain may linger in the hills but on the west and south coast many days dawn blue with lower humidity than is traditionally found in, say, March at the end of the peak season.
As well as the blue skies, the prices are considerably lower.…

Last week, the Red Dot Team headed towards Galle to have a look at some properties along the coast. We were thrilled with the selection of hotels and villas, but one property struck a chord with almost everyone!

Sielen Diva, named after how our island was referred to by the Greeks, sits on a stretch of beautiful coastline in Unawatuna, just fifteen minutes from the Galle Fort. Although the entrance to…